Weekend Preview: There's more to it than just porn stars

Here's a question we never thought we'd pose: Do you want to meet a porn star on Las Olas Boulevard?

In case you missed it, Exxxotica 2013, the traveling porn convention that began at the Miami Beach Convention Center in 2006, has moved north to Fort Lauderdale, where it will gather Friday through Sunday at the Broward County Convention Center.

The convention is being billed as Exxxotica’s largest ever, both in terms of square footage and well-rounded stars (more than 100), and the show's executive producer, J. Handy, believes this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

“I’m really excited after so many years in Miami Beach to watch the response we’re getting from Broward, Fort Lauderdale and even West Palm Beach,” the Philadelphia-based Handy says by phone. “People have been nothing but super positive.”

If the mainstreaming of porn has been an ongoing theme in pop culture (who doesn’t have a sex tape?), the sight of some of the industry’s bigger names right smack on Las Olas Boulevard is still surprising. But on Friday, Vibe Las Olas (301 E. Las Olas Blvd.) will host an Exxxotica-sanctioned afterparty with porn star Alexis Texas (pictured above), joined by performer Jynx Maze. The next night, actresses of some renown, Tasha Reign and Allie Haze, will be at Vibe, followed on Sunday by an Exxxotica closing party at the next-door O Lounge. Info: 954-713-7313, VibeLasOlas.com.

On Friday, Passion at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (5701 Seminole Way, Hollywood) will host the convention’s most-buzzed-about star, Farrah Abraham, star of MTV’s “Teen Mom” and her notorious new sex tape, “Backdoor Teen Mom.” Abraham will meet fans at Exxxotica on Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, Teagan Presley and Alexis Texas will host a party at Passion. Info: 954-235-6164, PassionNightclub.com.

Riverfront in downtown Fort Lauderdale will also have its share of fringe porn performers at afterparties on Friday and Saturday. Info: 761-8686, OffTheHookah.com.

One of the best-known porn crossovers is actor Ron “the Hedgehog” Jeremy, who will be at the Broward County Convention Center all three days, with Sunday dubbed “Ron Jeremy Appreciation Day.” Jeremy, who just turned 60, will be making his first major public appearances since recovering from two surgeries in January to repair an aortic aneurysm.

“It will be great to have him back. Ron’s the best,” Handy says.

New this year will be a Mr. Exxxotica contest on Friday, which is also ladies' night, when women get free admission.

Cupcake Burlesque, Magic City Burlesque and the Shimmy Shake Revue are among local dance troupes scheduled to perform. And the Street Kings Car Show will showcase hundreds of the cars and motorcycles on thousands of square feet of exhibit space all three days.

THE 'HA' LIFEReferenced with some affection in this space last week, the bittersweet, New York-set girlfriend comedy “Frances Ha” will spread to theaters in Palm Beach County this weekend, including Living Room Theaters (777 Glades Road, Boca Raton: 561-549-2600), the Regal Delray Beach 18 (1660 S. Federal Highway; 561-272-0510), Regal Shadowood 16 (9889 W. Glades Road, Boca Raton; 561-482-2638) and Cinemark Palace (3200 Airport Road, Boca Raton; 561-395-4695). From director Noah Baumbach (“The Squid and the Whale,” “Greenberg”), the beautifully shot, black-and-white film follows the bumpy relationships of its title character, a dancer played by Greta Gerwig, and her less flighty pal, Mickey Sumner (daughter of Sting). “Frances Ha” had its South Florida debut last weekend at the Coral Gables Art Cinema (260 Aragon Ave.), where it has been held over. On Friday, the theater will host a Skype Q&A with Gerwig at the 7 p.m. screening. Info: 786-385-9689, GablesCinema.com.

BAGELS AND ARTArtServe, which has been getting the word out about local artists and cultural programs for 25 years now, will take try an interesting new tack beginning Sunday with Brunch on the Beach. The program puts works by local artists in front of late-rising noshers at several oceanfront Fort Lauderdale restaurants, where you’ll also find food and drink specials during brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Continuing every Sunday through Aug. 4, the partnership offers a variety of deals at East End Brasserie (unlimited mimosas or Bloody Marys with brunch order, for example), Rock Bar (20 percent off food), Café Del Mar, S3, Sangrias, Spazio, St. Bart’s and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. ArtServe CEO Jaye Abbate calls Brunch on the Beach “a fun, artful initiative that will attract tourists and locals to the beach during the off-season and will brand the beach as a destination for art, culture, fine food and craftsmanship.” ArtServe is at 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Info: 954,462-8190, ArtServe.org.

BOYS TOWNLive, local rock ‘n’ roll will subvert all kinds of South Beach clichés Friday night when Backstage at the Fillmore hosts a bill led by Miami trailblazers Jacuzzi Boys, kicking off an East Coast-Midwest tour. They’ll be joined by Lake Worth’s Cop City Chill Pillars and Nerve City, from Miami. Doors open at 9 p.m. at the new 500-capacity venue carved out of the Fillmore Miami Beach (1700 Washington), which made its debut last month during the South Beach Comedy Festival. The cover is an un-SoBe $5, with $5 PBRs and Jagers. Info: 305-673-7300, Facebook.com/FillmoreMiami.

PURPLE PHASEScott Weiland and the Wildabouts will perform at Revolution Live (100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale) on Aug. 24, with tickets on sale 10 a.m. Friday. The former lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver is billing this solo tour Purple at the Core for its focus on STP’s hit-laden LPs “Core” and “Purple.” Also on the set list: David Bowie's “Jean Genie,” Jane's Addiction's “Mountain Song” and a bass-heavy reading of the Doors' “Roadhouse Blues.” General-admission tickets to the all-ages show cost $29.50 in advance at the box office (954-449-1025), LiveNation.com and all Ticketmaster outlets, and $32 at the door. Info: 954-727-0950, JointheRevolution.net.

BAR-TOP 40Charismatic tequila master Rocco Mangel will celebrate his 40th birthday on Saturday in a manner that will surprise no one: On the bar at Rocco’s Tacos in Palm Beach Gardens (5090 PGA Blvd.), in white shoes, pouring free shots of Patron. Other party favors: $5 margaritas, $15 pitchers and $3 Coronas, plus reggae beats from Spred the Dub. The party will run from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. In lieu of a gift, Mangel is hoping you’ll make a donation at ChelseaMorrisonFoundation.org. Info: 561-429-4758, RoccosTacos.com.

KILLER WATTSMusician-comic-performance artist Reggie Watts did the Jimmy Kimmel show last week, which you may think is the kiss of something resembling death, unless you saw his looping, pulsating performance, apparently improvised on the spot and totally unlike anything Kimmel has offered before. And no F-bombs. Watts will hold a three-night “Reggidency” June 6-8 at the Light Box at the Goldman Warehouse (404 NW 26th St., Miami). Tickets: $35-$100. Info: 866-811-4111, MiamiLightProject.org.

DRINK WITH THE FISHESBecause your liver may need time to prepare, be aware that the sixth annual charity fishing tournament and fish fry afterparty sponsored by the Internationally World Famous Treasure Trove bar (2933 SE Fifth St., Fort Lauderdale) will be held July 20. The event is hosted by local charter captain Phil Dunn, a no-nonsense guy who has made clear in this year’s rules that “anyone found guilty of murdering another participant in the tournament, in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage, will be banned from the tournament and the Treasure Trove for a period of one year.” To enter, email TroveFishing@gmail.com.

SO LONG, MAMArt, sound and food align on Saturday when the Cultural Center Plaza at the Miami Art Museum (101 W. Flagler St.) hosts the MAM Closing Party BBQ in advance of the museum’s relocation and rebranding as Perez Art Museum Miami on Biscayne Bay this fall. The event will be curated by “the end,” the collective involved in closing exhibition “New Work Miami 2013,” a global survey of artists born in places such as Havana, Zagreb, Miami and Tennessee. From 7 to 10 p.m., the funk renegades from Hot 97.7 will rule via a 17-foot wall of speakers, with plates filled by Sparky’s Roadside BBQ. Tickets: $10, members free. Info: 305-375-4073, MiamiArtMuseum.org.

ITALIAN WHEELSThe marketing of the Fiat 500 Abarth worked because of the supermodel, sure, but there’s also no denying the alluring form of Italian design. This is the point of the exhibition “Italy in Motion” at the Coral Gables Museum (285 Aragon Ave.) and of the Auto Italia Show outside on Salzedo Street on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. Along with Ferraris, Vespas, Ducatis, Fiats, micro cars and bicycles from the exhibit, there will be a selection of new head-turners from Ferrari Club of America, the Collection, South Miami Fiat and Lamborghini Miami. The party includes food and ’60s Italian music by DJ Corrado and a screening of Claude Lelouch's cult-classic car-racing short “Rendezvous.” Admission: $10 (includes one drink ticket), $5 members. Info: 305-603-8067, CoralGablesMuseum.org. Here, car junkie Jay Leno describes the enduring allure of "Rendezvous" and driving fast: